A Tiny Shred of Hope
by Terracea
Summary: She found it unfair that her friends were getting married, and here she was, turning twenty-seven, attacking the buffet table.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **I intended this to be a one-shot, but seems like this is going to be three-chaptered. Enjoy.

* * *

Maya counted the number of suitors the year before (none), and it was pleasant. It helped that she gained weight around the bust area and would call herself "a tremendous success" rather than "flat-chested". She was still nowhere near the slender epitome of womanhood that is brimming with confidence and maturity, but at least she had improved enough to deserve the purchase of a completely new wardrobe.

And once again, her persistent little cousin insisted that she wear the heavy robes of Kurain. It was purple, black, and splattered with awful pink. This time, she attracted the same number of the suitors the year before – and it wasn't pleasant.

Paparazzi wrote: Maya Fey looked stunning… but this event isn't a funeral.

But Maya wasn't the only one chosen by the unkind paparazzi. They criticized a certain prosecutor's cravat, and this certain prosecutor went on to marry his child prodigy "sort-of sister" with Phoenix Wright as their best man!

As she entered the giant ballroom, Maya held out hope.

No, not really. She realized that Phoenix – or Nick, as she would affectionately call him—will never ever marry her, but at least he was kind enough to call her every once in a while… and she strongly believed that that would have to be enough.

She found it unfair that her friends were getting married, and here she is, turning twenty-seven, attacking the buffet table. Pearl, the _persistent little cousin_ earlier believed that Maya might still have a chance with Phoenix Wright because he is her _special someone_.

Besides, she learned in a romance novel that it wouldn't be fair to marry someone when she was still desperately in love with Nick.

Perhaps, in the far reaches of her mind—in the innermost corner, hidden behind the Steel Samurai and Pink Princess trivia she memorized—she still believed that dear Pearly was right.

Until…

The bride looked glamorous, greeting her friends while showcasing her glittered satin dress around the room. For a day she didn't look threatening, angry, and irritated. She had this youthful glow, and her smile was genuine– and happy.

She was beautiful.

Maya walked away. She didn't feel like wishing the bride well yet.

She walked across the ballroom, softly tapping along the wooden floorboards as she approached the bar. Her robe felt heavy like drapes being pulled down. It felt better as soon as she sat down.

"Cola, please." she told the bartender.

As the bartender left, she heard familiar voices. Male voices.

It was the legendary three: Edgeworth, Larry and Nick. They were obviously drinking– judging from the half-empty beer mugs on their hands.

Maya could see them poking fun at each other's neckties, but she couldn't hear what they were saying. The loud music blared through the speakers, and they seated quite far from her. She waited for her cola to arrive before approaching the three.

_Hey Nick! It's been a long time! Wanna ditch this place and get some burgers?– _No, that's sounds too desperate. Besides, why would she pry him away from his best friend's wedding?

While she was in the middle of contemplating what the perfect greeting would be, the bartender interrupted her thoughts by handing her a fizzy bottle of cola.

She nervously made her way to the three men.

Butterflies invaded her stomach as she took the third step closer.

There he was, giving Larry a light jab on the ribs. Edgeworth had his brow raised at him– it's as if he was skeptical about something.

And, it was often said that she had bad timing. That she always attracted or encountered bad situations. The first voice she heard was Nick's, and the words shattered her heart.

**"…I can't marry Maya!"**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Yes! I am finally in fourth year! Sorry if I took so long to update this story. I had to fulfill necessary requirements and it took me days to finish them all. Anyway, you're obviously not interested. Enjoy! :]

* * *

The first thing Maya did in the morning was cry.

She'd fallen asleep in the sofa of the Main Fey home, her feet sprawled inelegantly and her head cocked to the side in a rather uncomfortable position. She may have drank lots of alcohol the night before, but after an hour or so of complete and blessed silence, exhaustion made her eyes feel prickly, and she fell into deep slumber.

Which may have been why, when she opened her eyes saw her dear cousin looking at her, she had felt an overwhelming and heavy feeling of what transpired the night before she ran away after hearing that… _that…_

"Ugh."

"What did Mr. Nick do to you, Mystic-_I mean_-Master Maya?!" Pearl demanded, quite belligerently.

"Oh Pearly… Iris…" Maya moaned. She gave the both of them a desperate look. She didn't know how to say it, and rather – she wasn't so sure if she wanted to tell them.

"Spit it out, dear Master. We're here to listen." Iris calmly said, even though there was a hint of impatience in her voice.

"Yeah, _spit it out!_" Pearl repeated.

"Don't torture her!" came that all-familiar reprimand from Sister Bikini.

Three heads faced the motherly fat lady carrying a huge tray of biscuits and tea. "Sister Bikini!" Iris exclaimed. "You're awake!"

"Wished I weren't." Sister Bikini muttered, "My bath water didn't even last ten minutes. I was warm the first five minutes and shivering violently in the last five."

"Would you like me to heat water for you?" Iris asked.

Sister Bikini shook her head and put the tray in the middle of the girls. "No, I'd rather do some chores. I still have lots of clothes to dump in the washing machine. You girls stay here and keep the Master company. She looks…" she gave Maya an onceover.

Maya shrugged.

"Well, she looks… sad." Sister Bikini finished. "I'll be back with some more tea."

Once Sister Bikini left the room, Iris and Pearl huddled close to Maya.

"I think the both of you are aware how much I like Nick…" Maya started, twiddling her thumbs nervously. She had lots of girl talks before, but she was usually the one who just listens and oohs and ahhs after every story.

Iris gulped. Maya couldn't tell whether Iris was nervous to listen or simply just preparing herself to. Iris was once Nick's girlfriend, and she knew firsthand how wonderful he is – inside and out. Maya felt a bit bad because she didn't want to hurt her dear cousin with the story she's about to tell them.

_But what's the point? She wouldn't be hurt. She might rejoice afterwards._ Her thoughts told her, quite diabolically – if the author might add.

"I don't know if-"

Iris awkwardly smiled. "Please continue, Master. I assure you, he might have been my lover once, and I do feel the same way towards him, but if he sees you fit to make his heart whole – then who am I to oppose?"

She sounded earnest and sincerely honest. Maya still felt bad, but somehow – that reassured her to continue because…

"The thing is… I overheard him tell Edgeworth and Larry that… " she trailed off.

Pearl and Iris patiently waited. Their eyes looked worried – but they were silent.

"…he _can't_ marry me."

Their faces suddenly shifted. They weren't worried any longer. Pearl looked really angry, clenching her hands on her sides, and her mouth formed a tight line. Iris was devastated – but had a little hopeful twinkle dancing in her eyes.

And Maya believed that Nick had that twinkle for Iris too.

Why wouldn't he? Her looks are beautiful enough to make a guy fall for her. She's blessed to be tall and curvy in the right places, and had immaculate raven hair braided in the right places.

She could wear a sack and still be gorgeous.

Compared to Maya, Nick would definitely choose the girl who wouldn't be attacked by the paparazzi even if she wore a petty, stupid, tacky sack to an event.

"H-how did he say it?" Pearl stammered. She couldn't believe it. In Pearl's little world, Nick is adamant to marry her dear cousin.

"Did he sound funny? Was he drinking?" Iris added.

"N-no... he sounded... like he exclaimed it - he said it in a really loud voice. Like he was shocked at the thought of marrying me. He _was_ drinking but he didn't seem _that _drunk."

"Maybe you just misinterpreted it, Master Maya." Pearl said. "Did you try to clarify the situation? Did you confront him?"

Maya was silent for a while, trying to remember.

* * *

_Flashback..._

"…I can't marry Maya!"

Maya dropped the cola she was holding and shrieked in a pitch higher than usual.

Three heads faced her, each had horrified expressions.

"M-Maya! I-I can explain! You see… he… they…" Nick spluttered.

"Don't bother!" Maya yelled, and fled the scene. Several guests who witnessed the event followed her with their eyes. Paparazzi, on the other hand, raised their cameras and snapped pictures of Maya frantically balancing on high heels as she ran out the door. A pervy-looking bespectacled man holding a camera blocked Maya's exit. She braced for impact, intending to push the stupid man away.

The sound of the whip cracked, and the man fell to the floor. Apparently Franziska unleashed her whip and Maya was able to escape the scene quickly.

She almost slipped on the marble steps – but she somehow managed to teeter her way down. Halfway through, a female voice with a German accent stopped her.

"And where do you think you are going?" the voice asked.

Maya turned and saw the brightest bride she had ever seen. Her gown shimmered in the dark, and her trusty brown whip – though dull and boring, was wrapped around her right hand, ready to strike pervy men.

"Oh, Franziska. I… I'm sorry… I need to leave."

"I may not know what have happened between you and Phoenix Wright but please… whatever it is, do not assume what he thinks. Always get your evidence from him."

"I'm afraid I don't understand." Maya said, tears threatening to leave her eyes.

Franziska sighed. "Fool. It's a simple concept. You'll grasp it once you stop looking like a terrible mess."

Maya formed an unusual v-shape by separating her middle and ring finger. "Congratulations, Franziska. I wish you and Edgeworth will live long and prosper."

Franziska was baffled, but smiled nonetheless. "What a foolish way to convey your felicitations. Fear not, I will overlook this and pacify the relentless media present in this event."

"Thank you," Maya said, bowing. "Go back inside, Franziska. Don't keep the guests waiting."

"Those foolish people can wait. I called my driver. He'll take you to your hotel. In the meantime, I'll keep you company."

The driver didn't take long, and Maya was on her way to Gatewater Hotel. Even though the windows were tinted, Franziska's gown managed to shine through. The distorted image of her friend waved a goodbye and finally went back inside.

An hour later, the car took a quick turn to the hotel she was staying in.

It was agonizing to leave the car and enter the fancy hotel looking like she was abducted by an alien. People were practically staring at her while she rode the elevator with them!

She quickly gathered her things, took the bottle of alcohol inside the mini-fridge, and checked out.

It was ten when her train left for Kurain. She spent two hours drinking the entire bottle and thinking about possible reasons why Nick can't marry her. She cried for a long time, and her head started to hurt. Her eyes felt really stingy, and her lungs couldn't take it anymore. She uttered his name over and over again until the train jittered against the irregular tracks that signified that she was thirty minutes away from Kurain.

By midnight, she arrived in Hazakurain, and collapsed in the sofa where Pearl and Iris found her.

* * *

At the end of her story, Iris and Pearl nodded like idiots – absorbing the details… but only managed to take in the part where Maya was really depressed and immediately increased their level of concern towards the devastated leader of the spirit mediums.

"B-but," Iris said, "may I say something?"

Pearl shot Iris an irritated look. "What, he probably still likes you?" she accused.

Iris gave Pearl a stern look. "Even if he does, I _know_ he does hold Maya dear in his heart. It is difficult for me to say this but I believe he does _love_ the Master very much… and values her more than he does towards me…"

Her stern gaze shifted to a vulnerable one as she struggled to say more. Maya and Pearl knew that she was hurting inside, and perhaps had difficulty to betray her own feelings. But Iris was older than they are, and she probably is wiser and logical compared to the both of them. Pearl felt bad that she made her cousin feel worse.

"…after all, he tried to save the Master by crossing _that_ _bridge_."

"...because he's your special someone!" Pearl added. She gave Maya a look that's as if she answered all of the confusing and complex questions in the world.

Maya smiled weakly. _That bridge... special someone...  
_That fateful night her mother - in the guise of Elise Deauxnim - died.

She was trapped in the Inner Temple, completely unaware of what transpired outside. All she knew was that somebody wanted her dead, and she was focused on trying to channel the spirit of her murderer in the Special Course training room. All she knew was that Nick would save her in the end.

It was said that Nick was very worried about her after he - along with Sister Bikini found out that her mother had been murdered. Nick frantically ran to the Inner Temple - and before he made it - the bridge broke under his feet after it was struck by lightning - and he fell into the river.

Maya thanked the High Spirits for protecting Nick... but somehow, she felt responsible for that incident. Whenever she needed saving, he'd come running - and did he ever let her down? He never did. He saved her all the time.

He was her knight in shining armor - but he's also everybody else's knight in shining armor.

According to Nick, that's what lawyers do. Protect the innocent no matter what. But in Nick's case, he protected everybody he truly cared about. Nick loved being a lawyer, but above all - he loved his friends even more.

That's one of the reasons why Maya truly loved him, and often admired him. Distance didn't stop her from loving him - nor the time when his reputation plummeted after presenting that diary page without thinking about its source - and was disbarred. She didn't stop even if he tried to push her away during his _darkest period_ - wherein he felt his life was ruined, and reacted sardonically to the loss of his treasured badge. She didn't stop loving him even though he found _light_ in the form of Trucy - the little girl he adopted, and even though she felt slightly jealous of the little girl for always being there for him, she couldn't do a thing because he refused to let her help him. He claimed to be ashamed for what he did - and that Maya didn't deserve to see him, but her feelings never wavered. It was still the same as it once was. She still loved him. She couldn't stop. She desperately tried to reach out, keep in touch, and send him Steel Samurai DVDs to cheer him up... just like that time when he had to stay in the hospital after being hit by a speeding vehicle and thrown head first into a telephone pole, but walked away with just a sprained ankle.

She wanted him to think about her too, and visit... once he gets the money. She offered him to have his family move to Kurain, where they could live a better life - but he refused for they both knew that his happiness was even more possible in the city, and the both of them felt that somehow - Nick will be back. Phoenix Wright _will_ get his job back... and it wouldn't be possible if he stayed in Kurain. But she respected his decision, and even though she _still_ wouldn't get to see him, she still loved him.

And now that he's back in the Justice System... Maya knew that he felt better about himself. She tried to visit him in his office but was devastated to find out that he's out doing business with his new "partner" - a _female_ named Athena Cykes. She didn't know anything about this Cykes-person but only knew that she's ten years younger than her, and she does not have to worry about Nick falling for her. Think about the age gap! (Riiiight, Maya.)

But when she finally saw him for the first time after eight years... he told his friends that he didn't want to marry her, and that sort of ruined everything. But she still, and she held her chest and felt her heart just to make sure, and realized that it still beat loudly for him. She couldn't hate him even if she wanted to. She definitely loved him!

Iris whimpered, interrupting Maya's train of thought. Pearl realized that she hasn't apologized for that accusatory remark she made earlier. She turned to Iris and gave her a small pat on the back. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

"Oh," Iris replied. She would have liked to say something more reassuring, but "oh" was the best she could come up with on such short notice.

"Master Maya," Pearl said, wrapping her arms around her dear Master, cousin, and best friend. "You should try telling Mr. Nick what you truly feel."

"Yes! Confess!" Iris exclaimed, as she gently took the hands of the Master she truly revered and loved.

Maya's tears fell uncontrollably, and she hugged both of her cousins. She didn't know what to do without them. Pearl was very hopeful that her dream pair will turn into reality, and Iris was unexpectedly supportive and encouraging. She hugged the both of them.

They stayed like that for a while, sharing the same feeling of suspense, anxiety, and perhaps – hope for Nick's sweet yes.

"I bet you have lots to say," Pearl said.

"I have a lot to say." Maya said, sounding determined – even if tears are gently slipping from her eye sockets.

Pearl turned to Iris and explained, "When Master Maya has a lot to say, she has a lot to say."

Iris chuckled. "She's called Master for a reason."

"Because I'm in the main family?" Maya joked.

"Well, we still call you Master – so you definitely deserve your title."

Maya laughed and felt light. Iris and Pearl happily laughed along with their favorite person in the world, and...

Maya's stomach grumbled loudly.

The tray filled with tea and biscuits, once neglected, was finally the center of the attention that morning as the three girls chatted about the busybodies of Hazakurain, how Nick was a jerk sometimes, and _those_** damn paparazzi**.


End file.
